WWI Flight Training Commander

1917–1918
Fleet reorganized U.S. military flight training during World War I, confronting catastrophic pilot fatalities and laying the groundwork for modern aviation safety.

Transforming American Military Aviation in Its Darkest Hour

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, military aviation was still in its infancy. Aircraft were fragile, unreliable, and unforgiving. Training was rushed. Procedures were inconsistent. And pilots—often barely out of their teens—were sent into the air with minimal experience in machines that offered little margin for error.

Into this chaos stepped Captain Reuben H. Fleet.

Recognized for his steadiness, organizational skill, and deep understanding of early aircraft, Fleet was appointed to oversee the nation’s Army flight training program. It was one of the most critical—and dangerous—commands in American aviation at the time.

A Sobering Reality: Two-Thirds of Pilots Were Dying

During Fleet’s command, he confronted a brutal truth:
two-thirds of all trainee pilots were dying in training accidents.

Not in combat.
Not overseas.
At home—before they ever reached the front.

Most of these deaths resulted from:

structural weaknesses in early aircraft
unpredictable stalls and spins
fuel imbalance in wing tanks
inadequate training procedures
mechanical failures that offered no chance of recovery

These were not simply statistics to Fleet. They were young men under his care—future aviators whose lives depended on the decisions he made each day.

Bringing Order to Chaos

Fleet quickly recognized that the greatest threat facing American aviators was not the enemy overseas, but the inadequacy of the nation’s aviation infrastructure. Training varied wildly between fields. Aircraft were built inconsistently. And safety procedures were years behind the technology’s inherent risk.

He implemented:

standardized training protocols
mechanical inspections before every flight
structured lesson progressions
stricter rules governing altitude, maneuvers, and weather conditions
rapid communication of best practices across all training fields

These reforms alone saved lives. But Fleet knew the root problem was deeper: the airplanes themselves were dangerously unstable.

The Birth of an Aviation Innovator

Witnessing so much preventable loss forged Fleet’s lifelong commitment to aircraft safety and design improvement. He was no longer satisfied merely training pilots; he wanted to build aircraft worthy of them.

This transformation—born out of necessity during WWI—is what eventually pushed him toward aviation manufacturing and, later, the founding of Consolidated Aircraft.

Preparing America for the Air Age

Under Fleet’s leadership, the Army Air Service expanded its training capacity, improved its graduation rates, and entered a new era of discipline and oversight. By the end of the war, American pilots were better trained, better prepared, and operating under systems far safer than the ones Fleet inherited.

His efforts laid the groundwork for:

post-war flight schools
standardized pilot certification
improved maintenance procedures
future safety systems adopted throughout U.S. aviation

A Leader Formed by Responsibility

World War I was the crucible in which Fleet’s aviation philosophy was forged. He had seen firsthand what unsafe aircraft could do—and what disciplined, thoughtful leadership could prevent. These experiences shaped every decision he made in the decades to come.

Before he became a builder of aircraft, he became the man who trained the nation’s aviators.

And it was in this role that he learned the lesson that would guide him for the rest of his life:

A pilot’s life depends on the integrity of the machine beneath him.